Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud today corrected himself on the pronunciation of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and said he had been pronouncing “Kar” as “Kaar” and Supreme Court judge, Justice Hrishikesh Roy, had pointed out the error to him.
The Supreme Court was hearing petitions related to the horrifying rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at the Kolkata hospital. When an advocate mentioned that she was representing junior doctors working at the state-run hospital, the Chief Justice replied, “By the way, Justice Hrishikesh Roy pointed out to me that you kept on saying ‘Kaar’, ‘Kaar’, it’s ‘Kar’. I apologise.”
The RG Kar Medical College was established in 1886 as the Calcutta School of Medicine by Indian physician Radha Gobinda Kar. At that point, it did not have an associated hospital or a campus of its own. In 1902, the college got a building of its own. It was renamed Belgachia Medical College in 1916. Two years later, it was renamed Carmichael Medical College in the honour of Bengal’s Governor Thomas Gibson-Carmichael. After Independence, the college was named after its founder Dr Radha Gobinda Kar. Subsequently, the West Bengal government took over the management of the hospital.
The state-run hospital in North Kolkata has made headlines after a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor on duty was found dead in the hospital’s seminar hall on the morning of August 9. Medical examination confirmed sexual assault.
The chilling incident has sparked nationwide protests calling for swift justice. Doctors across the country have taken to the streets, demanding safe working conditions. The doctors’ protest has paralysed healthcare services across the country.
The Supreme Court has set up a National Task Force to recommend steps to improve the working conditions for healthcare professionals. During the hearing today, an advocate representing a group of doctors said the medicos sometimes have to work for as much as 36 hours. To this, the Chief Justice replied, “Please assure the doctors that we know they are working for 36 hours. I have personally slept on the floor of a public hospital when one my family member was not well.”
